Red String of Fate
by GhostBender96
Summary: In all honesty, I thought I would spend the rest of my life with him. Don't get me wrong, I know my place. I'm not some fairytale princess who falls in love with the hero, the best friend, and expects him to fall back. That's not how life works. (I don't own Danny Phantom and the idea came from Amethyst-Ocean-ADR's art)
1. Chapter 1

**This story is dedicated to Amethyst-Ocean whose art inspired the story:** **art/Red-String-of-Fate-698881364**

There always had been some kind of connection between us. In all honesty, I thought I would spend the rest of my life with him.

Don't get me wrong, I know my place. I'm not some fairytale princess who falls in love with the hero, the best friend, and expects him to fall back. That's not how life works.

I did think we'd be friends forever, though. I guess, in a way, we are. But it's not nearly the same. We don't just expect to spend everyday together like we once had. In fact, I only see him for a couple hours twice a month when Tucker comes to pick up and drop off his daughter from Star. We always go out to lunch those days to catch up.

We always seemed to pick up exactly where we left off. Tucker's obsession with food always forced me and Danny on the same side of the booth at The Nasty Burger. His arm always seemed to find its way around my shoulders, bringing back that awful crush I could never rid myself of.

It's that crush that has me denying Gregor for a date. His diamond on my hand never once entered The Nasty Burger, I couldn't bear to give the news to my two best friends. I've been engaged for almost a year now, and I still couldn't seem to bring myself to become his wife.

Danny, on the other hand, had no problem getting married. He and Valerie, who he had only been dating a few months longer than Gregor and I, got married immediately after high school. I didn't attend the small ceremony, it helped me live in denial.


	2. Chapter 2

_The knock on my window didn't even phase me this time. He had been coming every night since that day. That one awful day that still haunts me._

 _I didn't look up from my pillow as the bed dipped beside me. I simply lifted my arm, and let him slide into my grasp._

" _How're you feeling?" He asked, already beginning to rub circles into my back._

" _You're late." I muttered, and snuggled closer to him. At this point, my eyes were too tired to cry. I can't even remember a time when my eyes didn't hurt. In my head, I knew it had only been two weeks, but it feels like centuries to my heart._

" _I'm sorry," his voice cracked, and I felt a huge pang of guilt._

" _Don't be, I know you have other places to be." I squeezed him to my chest. "I just can't sleep without you."_

" _Why is that?" He turned his body to face me. I felt his lips press against my forehead. Normally, that would send my heart into my throat and the rest of my body into a state of shock. But now, all I could feel is my body relaxing now that he was with me._

" _I don't know," I whispered, burying my face into his chest. "Whenever you're not here, I can't go to sleep. It's like, when I finally start to drift off, I get jolted back awake to the memory of my mom screaming and dad crying. For some reason, that doesn't happen when you're here."_

 _Just as I said the words, the sounds echoed into my head again. A flash of my Grandma's still, pale body in the hospital bed zipped across my eyelids. My tear ducts seemed to find their function again, and within seconds, I was in a pool of my own tears on Danny's shirt._

 _I felt him sob beneath me, which wasn't the first time, but this was the time I finally had the strength. "Why do you cry?" I choked out, lifting my head to look at him. "I mean, you barely knew her."_

 _He placed his forehead to mine and cupped my cheeks to brush the tears away. "I don't know, Sam. It's like, when you start crying, my soul feels it. Like I can feel what you feel, even if just a shadow of it." He grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through mine, and continued to hold me tight with his other arm. "It's like our souls are attached."_


	3. Chapter 3

I remember almost laughing the first time he said it. I remember when I used to disbelieve everything he said. I was sure for those few months he had gone crazy.

After all, we were both in long term relationships by then. How more silly could he sound? It almost felt like cheating, and we never brought it up to our significant others. We simply sat at the lunch table like it was any other day. Danny and Valerie were going through a rough patch, Gregor had been avoiding anything too serious after the death of my grandmother, and Tucker was oblivious to anything that wasn't Star. That's how we had ended senior year, and I was almost sure I couldn't make it through that last month without my Grandma.

On the other hand, my parents never seemed to mention it when they caught Danny over way earlier than he should've been. They knew I needed him, seeing as they were too far into their own mourning to fully support me.

I had grown stronger over the last month of classes, and the two weeks between finals and graduation found me far too busy with getting things ready for Tech School to cry. Two whole weeks I had gone without a tear.

Then, the announcement came. Tucker and Star, Danny and Valerie, Gregor and I. We had all become accustomed to our group, always expecting to be together and with our significant other. And there we were, just like that when they said it.

Danny and Valerie were getting married. Guess they got over that "rough patch" Danny had told me about for so many nights.

I cried again that night, and I swore it would be the last tears I ever wasted on him.


	4. Chapter 4

" _Sam! Gregor!" I winced at the all too enthused_ _voice coming from behind me. Someone I hadn't seen in over a year was suddenly running toward us at full speed. And with her, that meant extremely fast._

" _Val!" Gregor shouted back, turning to catch the woman in his arms. I turned as well, taking in the new appearance of her. She had matured over the year, or perhaps it was the new haircut that made her seem older._

" _Hey Val," I tried to sound chipper as she pulled me into her arms. "I like the haircut." I smiled at her and I fell back under the arm of my fiancé. Suddenly the ring on my finger felt like a giant neon sign begging for attention._

" _And you let yours grow out!" I almost didn't catch her comment as my eyes locked in Danny's. Sure, we were still friends, but we hadn't seen each other in the context of our relationships in what felt like forever. It was definitely awkward._

" _Felt it was time for a change," I smiled and nodded at Danny as he tapped Gregor's fist._

" _Where ya been, man?" Danny asked. "Seems like you just dropped off the face of the earth for a while there."_

" _Yes, well, I have been busy with classes and all." He shrugged then turned to smile at me. "Not to mention trying to plan a wedding with the world's most noncompliant woman."_

 _My eyes widened at that, but I caught my poker face immediately afterward. I saw Danny's eyes shoot to my left hand where the ring he had never seen before rested on my third finger._

 _He chuckled. "Yeah, Sam can be like that."_

" _I didn't know you two were getting married!" Val cooed._

" _Really? It's been over a year." Gregor turned to me with a confused expression. I opened my mouth, hoping a defense would come quicker to my lips than it was to my head._

" _I must have forgot to tell you, babe. My bad." Danny smiled weakly at her. I relieved a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Geez did he just save me._

" _You're so forgetful sometimes." I rolled my eyes at his lie. "Just like your dad."_

" _Tell me about it." Val grumbled. "Anyways, have you set a date?"_

" _No, that seems to be the only problem." Gregor's annoyance took a hold on his tone. I shouldn't be used to him being so inconvenienced, but that's exactly what it was like every time the wedding came up. "We have a venue in mind, caterer, florist, band. Everything but the date."_

" _I just started at the hospital as an MRI tech, I've been busy." I offered as an explanation._

 _We said our goodbyes and headed off in different directions. I couldn't help but look back for a small instant, and immediately locked eyes with that perfect shade of blue that seemed to be fading away from my life. I felt that tug on my soul, as if he was calling to me._

 _But then again, that's fairytale talk._


	5. Chapter 5

The next time I saw Danny, he was livid. He couldn't seem to understand the hell he had put me through after all these years.

We argued for hours, screaming so loud I was sure my neighbors would call the cops. He was definitely taken aback when I said that I was tired of being led on. That he had played with my emotions all the way through high school and still found his way into my heart every time he decided to show up.

He cried for a minute when I broke down in my own tears. I told him we couldn't see each other anymore because I refused to keep letting myself hurt over him.

I hadn't felt more numb in my life. Something like my grandmother's death should have left me a shell of a human, but no. That pain I felt and hit head on. Maybe it was because I had Danny by my side, and now, he was gone. Life trudged on, some moments seeming to last forever, and other months gone by in the blink of an eye.

Gregor and I set a date and would be married on May 5th, my grandmother's birthday. My parents couldn't have been more happy, which I suppose made the whole thing a bit easier.

But at the same time, I knew it wasn't going to work. I shouldn't be marrying someone I don't see being happy with forever, but at the same time, I couldn't let go of the only constant in my life. Sure, I saw Tuck whenever he came to town. But now, it was only once a month. His two trips had to be split between seeing me and Danny now that we couldn't bear to be in the same room.

I hated this empty feeling I carried around with me everywhere. I turned to alcohol, weed, work, anything that could keep my mind off of it. But I truly felt like a part of me was missing when I knew Danny wasn't around.

That tug on my soul I was so used to was gone, like something cut us apart. And I hated knowing that it was me with the knife.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, this is a sight I would never be used to. Thankfully, it's a one time thing.

I stared into the full length mirror where a beautiful woman stared back in a long white gown. The eyes were mine, but it still didn't feel like me.

I could hear the chatter of two families mingling in the hall not far from the room I sat in. I could feel my heart for the first time in months, and it was definitely breaking. Every step I took felt like one more out the door.

The door opened behind me, revealing a very well cleaned up Tucker. He had a small smile on his face as he silently walked over to me. I didn't move a muscle as his arms snaked across my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder. That's weird.

"You look beautiful." He whispered, staring right

into my eyes in the mirror. That voice didn't match, confirming what I had already assumed.

"I know that's you, Danny." I choked out. Tucker stepped back, shaking his head. Danny stayed wrapped around me, his grip only tightening as he appeared in the reflection.

"Man, I'll never get used to that." Tucker mumbled as he blinked back into reality. "Now that my duty is over, I'll give you a moment."

I hardly registered Tucker leaving the room. My eyes were locked on the reflection of Danny's. They were red and puffy, like he had been crying.

"I meant it." He whispered as he dropped his forehead into the dip of my neck. "Your beauty never ceases to amaze me."

"What are you doing here." I whispered back, as if anyone could hear us over the blaring music and chatter coming from behind the walls. I knew Gregor was on his way down the aisle the moment the song changed, and it would be time for me to go soon.

"I ran into your mom the other day." He chuckled before removing his arms. He walked around so that he could kneel before me. "She kept going on and on about how you had something old and new, but not borrowed and blue."

I rolled my eyes. "New and old." I whispered, touching the locket around my neck. "The necklace is new, but my grandmother's ashes inside are the old."

"She has a front row seat." He smiled sadly as his fingers reached up to brush the locket. "Here." His hands grabbed mine, pressing something small into my palm.

With a quizzical look, I opened my hand to see a familiar piece of jewelry resting there.

"The class ring you gave to Valerie in high school?" I asked.

"I never gave it to her. It was never meant for her." A small blush graced his cheeks.

"Oh yeah, Wes right?" I laughed for a second as my eye caught that engraving. It never made sense, but I figured it was some inside joke they had.

"Not quite." He flipped the ring over, showing an entirely different message.

"I don't understand," I trailed off, managing to find his eyes again

"The gem is blue," his eyes fell again, and I could almost feel the tears building behind those perfect eyes. "If you give it back, it'll be something borrowed too."

Just then, the wedding march began. He stood, pulling my hand to force me up too.

"Are the rumors true?" I asked, as if the answer to that question wasn't already known all over town.

"Papers filed yesterday." He shrugged. "I am legally a divorced man."

"What happened?" A knock came from outside the door. It was the same rhythm Team Phantom always used when someone was coming. Of course Tucker was the lookout.

"You know why." That tug suddenly came back again, as if his soul was testing the bounds that we had thought had been broken. "I better get going."

"Take me with you." The words came out far faster than I had thought them.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't know what forced me out of that overpriced party that day. And I was further baffled at where that force had led me.

Right into a fairytale ending.

I got the guy. The hero, the best friend, the first love that never seemed to leave my heart. Nothing could ever quite explain this connection we have. We skipped town that night, leaving behind the only home we had ever known.

Word got around that Gregor and Valerie eventually moved on, finding love and leaving town just as we had. It was safe to go back again, but we never did.

Instead, we moved to Florida where Danny started his astronaut training and built another portal. I ended up in medical school with a brand new diamond, a black one, on my third finger. And a tiny little band to go with it.

Whenever our mothers would call with the latest Amity Park gossip, we would just roll our eyes and act interested. At one point, the drama of our hometown would have met interested ears. But now, it all seemed like part of the past.

We weren't always together, as to be expected with medical conferences and outer space trips. But that was okay, we always found our way back.

I guess that red string of fate would always lead us back to each other, back to home.


End file.
